The popular children’s character Miffy has hired Rocket Licensing, after its former agency in the UK shut down.
Mercis, which holds the rights to the Miffy books and characters, says that after DRI Licensing’s decision to wind down the company, “it became paramount to find a new home for Miffy. The brand Miffy has been carefully nurtured and grown over the last 20+ years and it was important to secure this foundation, but also build on the program to further stimulate visibility and growth.”
Mercis says it found the qualities it was looking for in the well-established Rocket Licensing, which will now take over all licensing work in the UK and Eire.
“We believe that award winning agency Rocket Licensing has all the prerequisites to jointly fulfil this mission and are pleased to announce our partnership in the UK and Eire,” said Mercis. The company is now exploring ways to find synergies between its existing partners and Rocket’s established network of best-in-class licensing partners to further build the brand across all categories and age groups.
“Our mission is to share Dick Bruna’s work, and Miffy, with as many people as possible, but always with respect for art and the world of a child,” said Mercis managing director Marja Kerkhof. “It is never easy to make this kind of decision when working with someone’s oeuvre, but it is my belief that Miffy will be in good hands with Rob, Charlie and the Rocket team. We look forward to this collaboration and the exciting possibilities it could bring. But first let’s focus on 2023 Ýear of the Rabbit.”
Rob Wijeratna, Joint MD of Rocket Licensing, said the agency is thrilled to bring the Miffy brand on board. The character was created in 1955 by Dutch artist Dick Bruna, who first drew the character to entertain his young son on a rainy seaside holiday in Holland.
The series of picture books which followed used simple illustrations and rhyming text to explore the universal experiences of childhood, immediately earning Bruna international critical acclaim as an author and artist. Miffy has since become a truly global phenomenon.
The Miffy books have sold more than 85 million books, making it one of the world’s most successful children’s series. It has also enjoyed an impressive licensing program over the decades, and now boasts more than 9,000 unique licensed products, as well as spawning TV series, a movie, and exhibitions around the world.
“We are so excited to welcome Miffy on board at Rocket Licensing,” said Wijeratna. “She is a classic design brand and is instantly recognizable across generations, cultures and languages. Her iconic status is largely down to the simple, impactful design and the key core values of fun, imagination, simplicity and a respect for art and the world of a child.
“Miffy’s licensing programme spans all ages and categories and has featured some exciting collaborations and experiential events and as we approach the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, our team is really looking forward to building on that and taking the consumer products programme to the next level,” Wijeratna added.